BACITRACIN ZINC FOR INTESTINAL AMEBIASIS - A DOSE-RESPONSE STUDY

This study was performed to establish the efficacy of orally administered bacitracin zinc for asymptomatic and symptomatic intestinal infections with Entamoeba histolytica and to determine a recommended treatment regimen for use in future comparative clinical trials. The drug was assessed in a Tanzanian population during the long rain season of 1990, In symptomatic patients receiving single daily doses of 90,000 to 120,000 U (USP) bacitracin zinc for at least 3 days, signs and symptoms of infection were eradicated, In a limited, parallel-group trial of the effects of 3- and 5-day treatment regimens on asymptomatic infections, the signs of infection were similarly eradicated in all but one patient, When relapses were observed, they occurred more than 1 week after completion of treatment and were therefore indistinguishable from new infections. Thus the results indicate that both 3- and 5-day treatment regimens may be effective; further comparative clinical trials should be performed using the 3-day regimen.